The Divine Court
The Divine Court represents the pantheon of each of the gods in their relation to the laws of the greater races. While the kingdoms are allowed to develop their own laws and judicial systems, each of the kingdoms has agreed to observe a set of laws agreed upon by the Divine Court who uses Peacekeepers as investigators and judges. Peacekeepers do not swear allegiance to any one god, but to the pantheon as a whole, and look to protect the integrity of the Divine Court and its Law. Additionally, the Divine Court rules on all matters of faith, including excommunication, heresy, and the calling of a crusade.
The High Cathedral[edit]
The Divine Court meets in the High Cathedral in Carapath. Each faith has a Grand Cleric, the head of their order, who meets in the High Cathedral as their representative. While not in session, the Grand Clerics head their individual orders from their cathedrals. The Grand Clerics are the authority for their patron deity, and the Archimandrites act as management below them. Priests are most common within the church, answering to the Archimandrites, and the Acolytes are lay people who are training to join the church. Clerics act as the churches army, protecting their order at all costs. They answer to the Grand Cleric, eschewing the usual politics of the church, although some choose to pursue that path as well.
Paladins oftentimes will choose a god to follow devoutly, and if they are selected can sometimes become Chaplins, a sort of Peacekeeper for internal affairs of the order. Other times they simply follow the pantheon, which can lead them down the path of becoming a Peacekeeper. Still others find their calling away from the formalized structure of the church, though they can still be called upon during a crusade to fight at the Divine Court’s behest.
Currying Favor[edit]
The Divine Court holds a lot of political sway, particularly the Archimandrites, and especially the Grand Clerics. Since the founding of New Meritta, the church has had a waxing and waning role in the governance of the people, much to the chagrin of some of the nobles. While they might not ever say it out loud, there has certainly been animosity brewing in recent times towards the “over-reaching” Divine Court.
